Friday, March 21, 2014

Foodie Friday - Oatmeal Pumpkin Loaf

Since spring is officially here but it still feels like winter, I thought I'd share a recipe with you that I tried last weekend.  The weather was dreary, cold and windy and this pumpkin bread was just what the doctor ordered to chase away the chill.

I thought I had all the ingredients when I started the recipe but soon learned I didn't have coconut oil so I used canola oil instead.  It came out great even with the substitution.  Next time I will add 3/4 of a cup of sweetener as it wasn't quite as sweet as I would have liked.

Here you go, Oatmeal Pumpkin Loaf courtesy of Happy. Healthy. Life. blog.  




Oatmeal Pumpkin Loaf from Happy. Healthy. Life. blog
vegan, makes 1 "standard loaf pan" (9x5") loaf - makes 8 generous slices

dry:
2 cups oat flour (homemade from rolled oats - just put dry oatmeal in the food processor)
3/4 tsp salt
1 heaping Tbsp baking powder
spices: 3/4 tsp cinnamon + 1/4 tsp ginger powder + 1/8 tsp nutmeg + pinch cayenne (optional)
*If you only have cinnamon spice on hand that is fine too!

wet:
1 cup almond milk (room temperature, or slightly warm)
3 tsp ground flax seeds (or substitute with chia seeds)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups canned unsweetened pumpkin puree
1/3 cup coconut oil, melted (organic)
3/4 tsp apple cider vinegar (orange juice or lemon juice is an acceptable substitute)
1/2 cup maple syrup or agave syrup OR 1/2 cup sugar (organic turbino, raw cane sugar tested)
1/4 tsp fresh orange zest (lemon zest works too)

topping: sprinkle of sugar + oats + zest

notes: 
* If your pumpkin puree is on the "wet" side, add another 3 Tbsp of puree and only use about 3/4 cup almond milk. Pumpkin puree cans will vary greatly in "wetness." A "dry" puree hold its shape in a gel-like scoop, while a wet puree is soft almost like a thick applesauce.

* Sweetener: I made the bread once using 3/4 cup dry sugar and once using 1/2 cup maple syrup. Both worked well. I think I liked the maple syrup hint a bit more, and it was a bit smoother of a sweetness. But both were wonderful. Agave syrup could also be used. For a sweeter loaf, use 3/4 cup sweetener. But you should be fine using just 1/2 cup.

* Fluffy Factor: If you want a less dense loaf, feel free to use half homemade oat flour and half a lighter flour like a basic store-bought wheat flour or gluten-free flour alternative

* Wet Mix: You want to warm your liquid ingredients so they combine smoothly. If there is a chilled ingredient the coconut oil will solidify making the mixture clumpy. The easy solution is the warm up anything that is chilled, like the almond milk.


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 415 degrees.

2. Make your oat flour by grinding whole rolled oats in a food processor or blender until a fine powder texture is reached.

3. Combine all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

4. Combine all wet ingredients in a bender and process for a few minutes on lowest setting. This will help activate the flax seeds as an "egg replacer."

5. Fold the wet mixture into the dry mixture until a thick, wet batter is formed.

6. Grease your loaf pan very well using coconut oil or coconut oil spray. Pour batter into pan.

7. Bake at 415 degrees for 20 minutes. Then reduce heat to 395 and bake for an additional 25 minutes. About 40-50 minutes total should be about right. You can check to see if you bread is done by using the toothpick test.

8. Cool for a good 30 minutes before removing from pan. You may be able to slice while the loaf is still warm, however slice carefully since the bread will be delicate. You will notice that the dense pumpkin texture will firm up as it cools and the oats continue to absorb the moisture of the cooling bread.

Serve with a slather of Earth Balance vegan butter!

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